Take Action | Join The Environmental Movement

Our generation has inherited a profoundly serious problem - the global environment is tapped out and on the verge of collapse. Our oceans are heavily polluted and overfished, climate change is happening faster and more aggressively than most scientists anticipated, and we seem to be in the stranglehold of multi-national corporations and special interest groups, committed to maintaining the status quo. However, the status quo is completely unsustainable. Our over-consuming, infinite growth-oriented society makes no sense on a planet with finite resources, and will surely leave our generation and future generations with severe challenges. Food scarcity, water shortages, and an increasingly hostile global climate system are an impending reality if we continue on our current path. The good news is that there are plausible solutions. We just need to assert the collective will to act right now.

Check out our partners organizations to learn more about how you can become involved in the environmental movement today.

350.org was founded by a group of university friends in the U.S. along with author Bill McKibben, who wrote one of the first books on global warming for the general public. The number 350 means climate safety: to preserve a livable planet, scientists tell us we must reduce the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere from its current level of 400 parts per million to below 350 ppm. We believe that a global grassroots movement can hold our leaders accountable to the realities of science and the principles of justice. That movement is rising from the bottom up all over the world, and is uniting to create the solutions that will ensure a better future for all. Today, 350.org works in almost every country in the world on campaigns like fighting coal power plants in India, stopping the Keystone XL pipeline in the U.S, and divesting public institutions everywhere from fossil fuels. All of our work leverages people power to dismantle the influence and infrastructure of the fossil fuel industry, and to develop people-centric solutions to the climate crisis.

Mission Blue is a global initiative of the Sylvia Earle Alliance, a 501c3 organization, which was formed in response to Sylvia Earle’s 2009 TED Prize wish. Dr. Earle urged people “to use all means at your disposal — films, expeditions, the web, new submarines — to create a campaign to ignite public support for a global network of marine protected areas; Hope Spots large enough to save and restore the blue heart of the planet.”

Currently, the Mission Blue community includes 90+ respected ocean conservation groups and like-minded organizations — from large multinational companies down to individual scientific teams doing important research.

The David Suzuki Foundation is committed to protecting the diversity of nature and our quality of life, now and for the future. They collaborate with Canadians from all walks of life, including government and business, to conserve our environment and find solutions that will create a sustainable Canada through science-based research, education and policy work.

Ocean Wise is a Vancouver Aquarium conservation program created to educate and empower consumers about the issues surrounding sustainable seafood. Ocean Wise works directly with restaurants, markets, food services and suppliers ensuring that they have the most current scientific information regarding seafood and helping them make ocean-friendly buying decisions. The options are highlighted on their menus and display cases with the Ocean Wise symbol, making it easier for consumers to make environmentally friendly seafood choices. The Ocean Wise symbol next to a menu or seafood item is the Vancouver Aquarium's assurance that the item is a good choice for keeping ocean life healthy and abundant for generations to come.

If it is wrong to wreck the climate, then it is wrong to profit from that wreckage. We believe that universities, religious institutions, city and state governments, and other institutions that serve the public good should divest from fossil fuels. We want institutions to immediately freeze any new investment in fossil fuel companies, and divest from direct ownership and any commingled funds that include fossil fuel public equities and corporate bonds within 5 years. 200 publicly-traded companies hold the vast majority of the world’s proven coal, oil and gas reserves. We’re asking our institutions to divest from these companies, as well as pipeline companies responsible for the expansion of fossil fuel projects.

On the weekend of September 8-10, 2006, 45 organizations from across Canada came together to form the Canadian Youth Climate Coalition – to stand united for a sensible climate future. The Canadian Youth Climate Coalition is a united front of youth from across Canada tackling the biggest challenge of our generation, how to protect our planet and our climate from dangerous warming. Across Canada – on campuses, in schools and in our communities we combine our forces to educate, empower and mobilize youth to take action. Together we are striving to build a fair and sustainable world. This is our future, it’s too important to leave up to anyone else.

Power Shift aims to build a movement that can transform our society by working together to take on the climate crisis, so that our future can be enjoyed by everyone, not only those who can afford it. Power Shift is organized by youth and aims to mobilize people from affected communities and various sectors of civil society to explore multiple ways of taking action and work to develop each other’s capacity and abilities. Power Shift is also about learning from each other, learning together, and using that knowledge to develop common strategies for creating positive change.

Young Agrarians is a grassroots initiative made up of agriculturalists and media conspirators intent on growing food sustainably. Inspired by The Greenhorns to build a network Canada-side to celebrate, connect and recruit young farmers – the Young Agrarians are the movers and shakers of a new agrarian movement: young agriculturalists, farmers, urban farmers, market and community gardeners, community groups and academics, organizations and the public who want to ecologically rebuild, promote and inspire the agriculture of our country. We are using the power of media and the internet, and bringing people together in real time- to build community and grow ‘good, clean, and fair’ food.

Permaculture is a creative design process that is based on ethics and design principles. It guides us to mimic the patterns and relationships we can find in nature and can be applied to all aspects of human habitation, from agriculture to ecological building, from appropriate technology to education and even economics. By adopting the ethics and applying these principles in our daily life we can make the transition from being dependent consumers to becoming responsible producers. This journey builds skills and resilience at home and in our local communities that will help us prepare for an uncertain future with less available energy.